Papilio constantinus

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Constantine's swallowtail
Papilio constantinus.jpg
Constantine's swallowtail (Papilio constantinus constantinus) female underside Maputo 2.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Genus: Papilio
Species:
P. constantinus
Binomial name
Papilio constantinus
Ward, 1871 [1] [2] [3]
Synonyms
  • Princeps constantinus
  • Papilio constantinus f. chrysothemisStoneham, 1931
  • Papilio constantinus alticolaLe Cerf, 1924
  • Papilio constantinus monticolusLe Cerf, 1924
  • Papilio constantinus f. mathieuiDufrane, 1946
  • Papilio constantinus mweruana f. witteiBerger, 1981

Papilio constantinus, the Constantine's swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Contents

Males have a wingspan of 70–90 mm and females a wingspan of 80–95 mm. The female is a larger than the male on average but the sexual dimorphism remains low.

On the obverse, the wings are a rather dull brown colour. The forewings are paler at the base, they bear a broken white or cream band, a macule of the same colour in the cell, a few macules at the apex, and a series of small submarginal macules. The hindwings have spoon-shaped tails. They are paler at the base and have a white or cream band and a series of submarginal macules of the same color.

On the reverse the motifs are similar but the wings are lighter. The brown parts are faded but the veins remain dark brown and there are some dark brown lines in the intravenous spaces and in the forewing cell. The hindwings have an orange dot in the anal angle.

The body is cream coloured underneath, with black lines on the abdomen, and dark brown above.

Its flight period is during the warmer months peaking from November to February. [4]

The larvae feed on Vepris Reflexi, Vepris lanceolata , Vepris undulata , Clausena species, Citrus species, Teclea trifoliatum , Teclea nobilis , and Teclea gerrardii . [2] [4]

Taxonomy

Papilio constantinus is a member of the dardanus species group. The members of the clade are:

Subspecies

Papilio constantinus on flower.jpg

Listed alphabetically: [2]

Biogeographic realm

Afrotropical realm.

References

  1. Ward, C. 1871. Description of new species of African diurnal lepidoptera. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 8: 34-36; 58-60; 81-82; 118-122.
  2. 1 2 3 Papilio, funet.fi
  3. "Afrotropical Butterflies: File C – Papilionidae - Tribe Papilionini". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
  4. 1 2 Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN   978-1-86872-724-7.
  5. Koçak, A.Ö., 1996, "Carcasson's African Butterflies" adlı yayına tamamlayıcı notlar (Lepidoptera). Cent. ent. Stud., Misc. Pap. 27/28: 10-16.
  6. Joicey. J. J. & Talbot, G., 1927 New forms of Lepidoptera Rhopalocera Encycl. Ent. (B3) 2 (1) : 1-14